


It's Not You, It's Me

by orphan_account



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Domestic tension, F/M, Gladio Isn't Very Nice, M/M, Post Chapter 13, Relationship breakdown, Sexual Content, World of Ruin, breakup and makeup
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-27
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2019-02-22 10:38:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13165173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Written for the following kinkmeme prompt:Gladio breaks up with Ignis during WOR because he feels like he's fallen out of love. Their relationship had started to feel stale to him and when he meets a hot female hunter, he realises that he wants her instead of going home to Ignis. He therefore calls things off with Iggy. Before a year has passed, Gladio realises he's made a mistake. He decides he needs to win Ignis back.The only problem is, having had his heart broken, Ignis is a little wary of letting anyone get near it again.





	It's Not You, It's Me

The world's shit, but home ain't much better.  
  
That's why Gladio never goes there after a hunt these days, at least not right away. Instead, he joins his hunter friends at the Tipsy Imp and indulges in a few shots of cheap vodka he definitely can't afford. Doesn't matter that his muscles are killing him, or that his clothes are crusty with dried daemon blood. Doesn't matter that he stinks like hot trash laid over rotten meat. It's a hell of a lot better than going back to his apartment and having to listen to Ignis yammer on about the basic trevally recipe he's teaching himself how to cook.  
  
Fuck, maybe he's being unfair. Ignis has been busting his ass trying to re-learn basic skills he lost after he went blind. Of course he's gonna be excited to share his progress with Gladio. But lately, everything Ignis says and does irritates him. There’s the obvious stuff, like his obsession with Noct—fighting for Noct, crawling around dangerous ruins for Noct, putting his goddamn life on the line for Noct. Shit. Gladio’s had just about enough of hearing about Noct. Sometimes he wonders what the hell Ignis is doing with him if Noct’s the only thing he can think about.  
  
And it’s started to poison their every interaction. Doesn’t matter what Ignis is talking about. He could be asking Gladio about his day, or chattering about the stray cat that’s been hanging around their fire escape, and it’ll still piss Gladio off. Gladio can't count the number of times he's snapped at Ignis over trivial bullshit, or shrugged off his touch. It ain't like Gladio wants to do it. He knows he's being an asshole, but he can't stop himself. It's like he's possessed.  
  
Even though Ignis never calls him out on it, Gladio can tell it cuts him deep. It's clear in the way he goes quiet and turns away, his face falling. Once, Gladio swore to himself he'd never do anything to hurt Ignis. Now he can't bring himself to care. Four years together doesn’t seem to mean much.  
  
Chuckling bitterly to himself, he slams back a shot and pushes his glass toward the bartender, who dutifully refills it. He should probably stop, but he's still a few drinks shy of buzzed, and buzzed is the only way he'll be able to deal with Ignis tonight.  
  
"Hey," says a voice by his shoulder. "You're Gladio, right?"  
  
He glances over and finds a woman leaning with one elbow on the bar. The first thing he notices is the scar visible in the deep V of her tank top, slashed across the swell of her tits. The tissue is thick and faded, an ancient memento, but the wound must've been ugly back in the day. Deep enough to be lethal under the wrong circumstances.  
  
Her face ain't ugly, though. For the first time in a long time, he’s tongue-tied. Lively grey eyes appraise him, and one corner of her full lips turns up into a smirk. Another scar slices across the side of her head, a clean white line through hair buzzed close to her scalp. She's hot in an unconventional way, her body thick with muscle, filling out her tank and camo pants.  
  
His dick's definitely interested.  
  
"Yeah," he finally manages. "That's me. You need something?"  
  
She shrugs and signals the bartender. "I just wanted to say hi. I've heard a lot about you from other hunters. Thought maybe you could teach me a thing or two."  
  
"You hunt, too?" he asks.  
  
"Usually around Meldacio," she says, "but I've been helping escort refugees from the Ravatogh area."  
  
Gladio nods and runs a hand through his hair, trying to play it cool. "So you're only here for one night?"  
  
"I guess so." She raises an eyebrow at him. "Why, you want to do something about it?"  
  
Gladio's phone starts to vibrate in his pocket. Sighing, he digs it out and sees Ignis's number on the call display. Shit. He shouldn't be sitting here flirting with some random woman—hell, thinking about fucking her—when Ignis is waiting for him at home.  
  
He hesitates for a moment, his thumb hovering over the screen. What Ignis doesn’t know won’t hurt him, right? It ain’t like he’s gonna go home with her. They’ll just share a drink, some conversation, maybe flirt a bit.  
  
He swipes to reject the call.  
  
“That your girlfriend?” she asks as he sets the phone face-down on the bar top.  
  
Gladio laughs. “Nah. Just my roommate. He probably heard I’m back in town and wants to know where I am.”  
  
There’s no harm in that. No harm in a little lie.  
  
The woman looks him up and down, her smirk softening into a smile as her eyes hover on the eagle wings spread over his arms. “The name’s Julia. Nice to officially meet you. You’re not nearly as scary as I thought you’d be.”  
  
“You thought I’d be scary?”  
  
“Well, all the hunters say you were the King’s Shield,” she says with a shrug, trading the bartender a five-gil note for a bottle of beer. “Figured you had to be pretty badass. A no-bullshit kind of person. I didn’t think you’d give a nobody like me the time of day.”  
  
“Trust me, you’re exactly the kind of girl I like,” Gladio says. No point beating around the bush. Not in a world like this, where tomorrow ain’t guaranteed. He’s come to realize that if he wants something, he has to act on it. “You’re heading back to Meldacio in the morning?”  
  
“Yeah,” she says softly. She moves a little closer, until her bare arm brushes his, and he catches a clean whiff of tallow soap. “I’m great company, if you’re interested.”  
  
“I’ll bet you are.”  
  
She opens her mouth to say something else, but his phone buzzes again, insistently, lighting up with Ignis’s name. Scowling, Gladio answers it.  
  
“Yeah?” he grunts.  
  
“Gladio,” Ignis says, his voice thick with relief. “I’ve been trying to reach you. Iris says your hunting party returned an hour ago. Where are you?”  
  
“Just having a drink,” Gladio says curtly.  
  
Ignis is silent for a couple of heartbeats before he says, “When will you be home?”  
  
Gladio sighs and digs in his pocket for his wallet. “Ten minutes. Okay?”  
  
“All right,” Ignis says, after another lengthy silence. “I’ll see you then.”  
  
Gladio ends the call and throws a couple of bills down on the counter. When he looks up, Julia’s studying him, eyes curious, the backs of her fingers stroking his forearm. He ain’t gonna lie, it’s real nice. It’d be nicer if they were stroking him somewhere else, though. He has to bite back a grunt as he imagines her hand grasping his cock, and her perfect full lips closing around him.  
  
It’s been a long time since he fucked someone who really wants him—someone who isn’t too busy thinking about how to save Noct to enjoy it.  
  
“Your roommate again?” she asks.  
  
“Yeah. I’d better go,” Gladio says. He downs the rest of his beer and hands her his phone. “But hey—can I get your number? Maybe we can meet up next time you’re in town.”  
  
“Sure.” She accepts the device, and he watches as she sends herself a text. “I’m usually here every couple of weeks. You can always come down to Meldacio, too. Just ask around for me if you’re in the area.”  
  
Gladio nods, pocketing his phone. “Thanks. Guess I’ll see you around.”  
  
Julia smiles at him. “Count on it.”

**Author's Note:**

> I feel horrible for making Gladio so horrible, but here we are. (Thanks for the shoutout in the original prompt, OP! And thank you, Atropa, for the title.) Kudos and comments are much appreciated, and thank you for reading!


End file.
